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Over the last decade, Dan Whalen has created more than 1,000 recipes for his website, TheFoodInMyBeard.com, garnering thousands of social media followers and a rep as a man who knows how to funk-up comfort food with finesse. In May, he’ll release his second cookbook with Workman Publishing (available for preorder), “Tots! 50 Tot-ally Awesome Recipes From Totchos to Sweet Po-Tot-O Pie." The tome uses the modest frozen tater tot as the foundation for dozens of flair-filled iterations — including this sneak preview he’s offered for bite-sized burgers with tots as buns.

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place the tots on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle them with the oil. Toss the tots gently to coat evenly with oil. Spread them out in an even layer. Bake, undisturbed, until they are browned on the bottom, about 15 minutes. Flip the tots with a spatula and bake until they are browned and crisp on top, about 10 minutes.Meanwhile, form and cook the burgers: Line a clean work surface with a sheet of wax paper and put the ground beef on top. Put another sheet of wax paper on top of the beef and press it down into a 4-by-6-inch rectangle. Remove the top piece of wax paper and season the meat with salt and pepper to taste. Cut the meat into sixteen 1-by-1 1/2-inch rectangles.Break each slice of cheese into quarters, and fold each quarter over to make 16 pieces of double-thick cheese. Set aside.Cook the burgers in a large nonstick frying pan over high heat, until browned on one side, about 5 minutes. Flip the burgers, lay a piece of double-thick cheese on each, and cook until the burgers are cooked through and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes more. (You may have to do this in two batches if you don’t have a big enough pan.)Remove the tot “buns” from the oven and top half with the cooked cheeseburger patties. Squeeze a tiny bit of ketchup and mustard onto each cheeseburger and then top with the gherkin. Finally, poke a food pick through the center of each of the remaining tot buns. Place one on top of a cheeseburger stack and stab the food pick all the way down through the center to make a sandwich. Repeat with the remaining tot buns, toppings and cheeseburgers.Serve hot. If not serving immediately, reheat on a baking sheet in the oven at 200 degrees for 5 minutes. Makes 16 mini sliders.